I've decided it's time I finally got a nice sounding valve amp.. but I'm a student on a budget, so probably don't want to be spending much more than £200
So far, the main amp to have caught my eye is the Bugera V22 Infinium.. Mainly due to the reviews I've been watching on Youtube, this one particularly:
I've also managed to find it online for around £200, while on ebay and other places it seems to be priced at at least £260.
Now I know the company has had problems in the past with reliability, but I was wondering if anyone owned one of these newer models and had any input? It does say it comes with a 3 year warranty too, which seems like a big plus!
Other amps that seem within budget are the BlackStar HT-1,Micro Terror Head and Cabinet, Vox lil Nightrain Gold Stack.
Although they all seem a bit lacking in the features when compared to the V22!
I mainly play bluesy sort of stuff, never really using more than a crunch in terms of overdrive, and I use a Digitech RP500 for effects at the moment! I also wouldn't mind being able to use the amp while at gigs, but it will start off as an amp for home use!
So does anyone have any recommendations on which direction I should go?
Comments
I have an Epi Valve Junior for this
Found this one here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EPIPHONE-VALVE-JUNIOR-V3-with-POWER-SCALING-/141491415657
And the sound samples provided sound great! Can I ask though, how much difference does not having an FX loop make? I've never actually owned an amp with one, but it seems to be mentioned as a fairly important feature a lot of the time!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_ssn=andydokken&_sop=16
If you do go for a V22 and are nervous re reliability (although they've had pretty good user feedback) I'd suggest buying new from a store that gives their own extended warranty.
In another current thread here there's been a lot of good feedback on the Laney Cub amps. There are several versions but I have the Cub 12R which is a single channel 15w 1x12 combo that's very good and takes pedals very well. It's surprisingly well spec'd with a nice sounding digital reverb, 1w and 15w inputs, 8/16 Ohm extn cab out, serial FX loop, full EQ plus additional tone shape control, and a built in tilt stand.
I did some you tube demos here:
Voxman's demo of Laney Cub 12R Part I with Gibson…:
Voxman's demo of Laney Cub 12R Part III with USA …:
If you want a combo, I think the suggestion above of a second hand Pro Jr would be a good way to go. The 10" speaker is likely to be a lot better than what you get in the 5W amps.
Really liking the sound of the Laney posted above too, wasn't too sure about it with the Les Paul, but the Strat one definitely changed my mind! Some nice playing too!
Can I ask though, as I'm not sure, if I were to buy a Head, is there no way to use it without having a cabinet of some kind??
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